SOCY551001 Approaches to Mixed Methods Research Spring, 2015
Thursday: 3:00PM-5:30 PM
McGuinn 415
Sharlene Hesse-Biber
hesse@bc.edu
Office:
McGuinn 419
Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 11-Noon & by appointment
COURSE OVERVIEW
The goals of this course are multiple:
(1) To introduce you to different mixed methods research approaches.
(2) To analyze the underlying epistemological and paradigmatic implications of specific mixed
method designs.
(3) To assist you with designing your own mixed methods research project and/or reviewing and
critiquing a specific research area that uses a mixed methods approach.
(4) Peer reviewing of work. You will learn how to give constructive feedback to your peers in
terms of constructively critiquing their work.
This is a graduate-level seminar and that means that on several given weeks, you will be asked to lead
class discussion of the readings. You will be expected to present a critical overview of and provide
commentary on the week's readings and, with the class, examine and critique the readings.
Students enrolling in this course should have taken at least ONE undergraduate and/or graduate
research methods course.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & COURSE GRADING.
1.
Attendance is REQUIRED. You will be deducted 2 points for each class missed.
2.
Classroom Participation means engaging specifically with the week’s readings. Please bring
articles/chapters to each class. You are responsible for leading a course seminar two times
this semester. A sign up sheet will be available to record you specific weeks.
3.
SIX (6) Reading Response Papers
You are expected to hand in a written response (2 page maximum, typed, single-spaced) to the
weekly readings for SIX out of the fourteen weeks in which readings are assigned. Your paper is
due at the beginning of the class of your chosen week. You should provide a critical analysis of the
week’s readings. I don’t expect summaries, but your reflections on a particular issue/point that is
presented in the readings.
Note: The written responses are due at the beginning of the class meeting in which the readings are
discussed. I will give these back to you the following week with my comments.
4.
Final Paper: A final paper will be due at the end of the class. The length should be 15-20 pages
(double–spaced, not including tables, figures and references). The paper should be one of the
following:
a. A research proposal that employs a mixed methods design. This may be a project you
would like to work on or a future topic of interest to you.
b. A review of the (emerging) use of mixed methods in a particular discipline or one that is
inter-disciplinary.
c. An alternative to options (a) and (b) that is selected in consultation with me.
d. Select a “research buddy” to work with by the end of the Second Class meeting.
Final Paper Dates
February 23 One-page statement of your research problem for your proposal and/or a statement about
what your paper will be about if not a proposal.
Working bibliography due as well.
In-class: Discuss proposals and receive reactions/,feedback and suggestions.
Note: At that time I would also require for authors working collaboratively that they include a on how
their individual efforts are to be evaluated.
April 30th- Paper Abstracts due
May 7th-- Student presentations of final papers.
Note: Student presentations will be modeled around the presentation format typically used at
professional meetings. Student will be responsible for making a brief presentation of their papers. We
will discuss these assignments in greater depth later in the semester.
You will be asked to select a research buddy with whom you will discuss your proposal during the
course of the semester. Try to do this the second week of class if possible. If you would like me to
assign you a buddy, please let me know. I am also open to folks wanting to form larger research buddy
groups as well, depending on your particular interests.
GRADING
My assumption is that EVERYONE will succeed in this class. However, I will use the following
breakdown to determine final grades.
Class Participation & TWO (2) Discussion Leading Sessions: 20% (20 POINTS):
Class participation is based on your informed discussion of the readings. That means that you must
bring the readings to class and be prepared to engage in an analytical discussion regarding the week’s
readings. You will be responsible for leading (2) class seminars. Discussion leaders must prepare a
handout to give to the class that pertains to that weeks’ readings.
Weekly Response Papers (6 total): 40% (45 POINTS)
Final Presentation 5% (5 POINTS)
Final Paper: 35% (40 POINTS)
Required Texts/Readings
1.
Hesse-Biber, S. (2010). Mixed Methods Research: Merging Theory With Practice. New York:
Guilford. For purchase online and in the BC bookstore.
2. Mertens, D. & Hesse-Biber, S. (eds.) (2013). Mixed Methods and Credibility of Evidence in
Evaluation. New Directions in Evaluation Monograph Number 138. Summer. New York: JosseyBass. I will be giving out copies of this free in our class.
3. Selected Articles from: Hesse-Biber,S. & Johnson, B. (eds.) (2015). Oxford Handbook of Multi
and Mixed Methods Social Inquiry (selected articles from this Handbook) New York: Oxford
University Press (published end of February, 2015. I will provide these articles to the class for
free.
4. Note: All other required course readings are available on Canvas.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (Let me know if these links don’t work)

http://www.npi.ucla.edu/qualquant/ This site provides an annotated bibliography of a variety
of mixed methods research approaches as well as some applications of mixed methods
designs.)

http://obssr.od.nih.gov/Documents/Publications/Qualitative.PDF (Provides tips on writing
your proposal with a special segment on mixed methods research)

http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/REC/pubs/NSF97-153/start.htm (guide for conducting mixed
methods for evaluation research projects , with an emphasis on mixing methods in social
science research)

Rosemary Talebl. Preparing a Dissertation Proposal : Mixed Methods Version. See:
http://coe.k-state.edu/ecdol/MIxed_Methods.htm

NIH Best Practices for Mixed Methods Research in the Health Sciences. Link:
http://obssr.od.nih.gov/mixed_methods_research/

http://mmr.sagepub.com/ (The leading mixed methods journal. Journal of Mixed Methods
Research. I am an associate editor for this journal and I am hope you will submit your future
mixed methods articles to this journal!
COURSE SCHEDULE and READINGS
Note: I reserve the right to tweak the syllabus as per the interests of the class and the general direction
things are going given all of your diverse interests.
PART I. Paradigm Wars and the Advent of Age of Mixed Methods Research : The Link between
Theory and Method/ Methodology versus Method.
WEEK ONE: January 15th. Welcome and Course Introduction and Overview: What is Mixed
Methods Research? Why is mixed methods important?
Guba and Lincoln, “ Competing Paradigms in Qualitative Research: Theories and Issues.”
Noel Gough, “Blank spots, blind spots and methodological questions in graduate research”
Hesse-Biber, S. (2010). Chapter 1.” Introduction to Mixed Methods Research.” In Hesse-Biber, S.
Mixed Methods Research: Merging Theory with Practice. New York: Guilford Publications.
Hesse-Biber & Johnson. (2013) “ Coming at Things Differently: Challenges and Diversity Within
and Across Mixed Methods Research Communities.”.Journal of Mixed Methods Research. ”
Seminar Focus: Discuss the specific paradigm/s that guide your research. How do you go about
doing research? What are the types of methods you are drawn to in your own research endeavors?
For this week, I would like you to think about how you do or do not resolve any perceived
paradigmatic incompatibilities in methods use as you cross different methods divide ( if at all).
What methodological perspectives guide your current research endeavors?
WEEK TWO: January 22nd. Introduction to the Mixed Methods/Philosophical Issues in Mixing
Methods: “The Paradigm Wars” / The End of the “Paradigm Wars?” What’s Next?
Collins, R. (1984). Statistics versus words. Sociological Theory, 2. San Francisco: JosseyBass, 329-362. Available ONLINE: http://www.jstor.org/stable/223353?seq=1
Small, Mario Luis. 2011. “Trends in Mixed Methods Research.” Annual Review of Sociology
Vol. 37.
.
Hesse-Biber ,S. (2015) “Introduction: Navigating a Turbulent Research Landscape: Working
the Boundaries, Tensions, Diversity, and Contradictions of Multi- and Mixed-Methods
Inquiry” The Oxford Handbook of Multi and Mixed Methods Research Inquiry.
Jennifer Greene (2007). “Contested Spaces: Paradigms and Practice in Mixed Methods Social
Inquiry. Chapter 4. In Jennifer Greene. Mixed Methods Social Inquiry. John Wiley.
Empirical Article: Integrating data collection methods (qualitative and quantitative).
Rank, The blending of qualitative and quantitative methods in understanding childbearing
among welfare recipients.
Focus: Think about your area of research. How might mixed methods be beneficial? Find one
article relating to your area of research that uses mixed methods. Briefly summarize the
article. What paradigmatic approach was used? What type of design? What did the
researcher gain by using a mixed methods approach? Be prepared to discuss your article.
SELECT A “ RESEARCH BUDDY”( WHO WILL WORK WITH YOU AS YOU BOTH
DEVELOP YOUR RESEARCH IDEAS, ETC.)
WEEK THREE: January 29th The importance of centering the research question & Mixed
Methods Sampling.
Hesse-Biber, S. (2010).” Formulating Questions in Mixed Methods Research and the
Centrality of Ethics.” Chapter 2. In Hesse-Biber, S. Mixed Methods Research: Merging
Theory with Practice. New York: Guilford Publications.
Hesse-Biber, Chapter 3 (concentrate on data collection, sampling, literature and validity
sections)
Editorial, “Exploring the Nature of Research Questions in Mixed Methods Research, Journal
of Mixed Methods Research Volume 1:3: 207-211.
Teddlie, C., & Yu, F. (2007). Mixed methods sampling: A typology with examples. Journal of
Mixed Methods Research, 1, 77-100.
Focus: What is the link between theory and method? Why is mixed methods sometimes talked
about as “methods-centric.” Why is it important to maintain the link between theory and
methods especially within a mixed methods research design? Be specific. Some have
suggested that pragmatism allows the researcher to forget about following a specific theory
/methods link. Do you agree?
WEEK FOUR: February 5th. Literature Reviews; The Political & Ethical Implications of Mixed
Method Inquiry
Jennifer Leeman, Corrine I. Voils, and Margarete Sandelowski (2015). “Conducting MixedMethods Literature Reviews: Synthesizing the Evidence Needed to Develop and Implement
Complex Social and Health Interventions.” Oxford Handbook of Multi and Mixed Methods
Research Inquiry.
Judith Preissle, Rebecca M. Glover-Kudon, Elizabeth A. Rohan, Jennifer E. Boehm, Amy
DeGroff (2015). Putting Ethics on the Mixed Methods Map. In Sharlene Hesse-Biber &
R.Burke Johnson, Oxford Handbook of Multi and Mixed Methods Research Inquiry
Caracelli, V. and Cooksy L. (2013). Incorporating Qualitative Evidence in systematic
Reviews: Strategies and Challenges. In Mertens & Hesse-Biber Monograph.
Focus: How does a mixed methods literature review differ from a qualitative or quantitative
literature review? What are the specific issues you think you will face in writing up a mixed
methods literature review for a mixed methods project?
PART II. Mixed Methods Research Approaches
WEEK FIVE: February 12 th. Quantitatively-Driven Mixed Methods Research—Questions/
Design Types and the continued prominence of Triangulation
Newman, I., Ridenour, C.S., Newman, C., & DeMarco Jr., G.M.P. (2003). A typology of
research purposes and its relationship to mixed methods. In A. Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.)
Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social and Behavioral Research (pp. 167-188). Thousand
Oaks: Sage.
Mark, Melvin M. (2015). Quantitatively Driven Approaches to Multi- and Mixed-Methods
Research. In The Oxford Handbook of Multi and Mixed Methods Research Inquiry.
Jick, T.D. (1979). Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods: Triangulation in action.
Administrative Science Quarterly. 24: 602-611.
Select two (2) of the Following Articles to read:
Cherlin, Andrew J., Burton, Linda M., Hurt, Tera R., Purvin, Diane M.
“The Influence of Physical and Sexual Abuse on Marriage and Cohabitation.” American
Sociological Review 69.6 (Dec.2004):768- 789.
Perlesz, A. & Lindsay, J. (2003). Methodological triangulation in researching families: making
sense of dissonant data. International Journal of Social Research Methodology : 35-40.
Clampet-Lundquist,Susan, Kathryn Edin, Jeffrey R. Kling and Greg J.Duncan. “ Moving
teenagers out of high-risk neighborhood: How girls fare better than boys.” American Journal of
Sociology 116, no 4. (2011): 1154-1189.
Everyone Please Read One of the Following Articles on Mixed Methods and Randomized
Control Trials.
Sarah J. Drabble and Alicia O'Cathain (2015). Moving from Randomised Controlled Trials
to Mixed-Methods Intervention Evaluations. Oxford Handbook of Multi and Mixed Methods
Research Inquiry.
Focus: What is a quantitatively-driven mixed methods approach? What types of questions lend
themselves to such and approach? What designs? What is triangulation and how is it used in
Mixed Methods Research? Thinking about your own disciplinary standpoint, what types of
contradictory findings emerge in your discipline. How do researchers handle/not handle these
contradictions? How can triangulation deal with contradictory evidence?
WEEK SIX: February 19th. Qualitatively Driven Approaches to Mixed Methods Research:
Questions/ Designs and the Embedded Mixed Methods Design
Hesse-Biber, S. (2010) “Qualitative Approaches to Mixed Methods Research” Qualitative
Inquiry Volume 16:6: 455-468.
Select 3 of the following Empirical Articles:
Goldenberg, C., Gallimore, R., & Reese, L. (2005). Using mixed methods to explore Latino
children’s literacy development. In T.S. Weisner (Ed.), Discovering successful pathways in
children’s development: Mixed methods in the study of childhood and family life (pp. 21-46).
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Lieberman, E.S. (2005). Nested analysis as a mixed-method strategy for comparative research.
American Political Science Review, 99, 435-452.
Mak, L., & Marshal, S.K. (2004). Perceived mattering in young adults’ romantic relationships.
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24(4), 469-486.
Myers, K.K., & Oetzel, J.G. (2003). Exploring dimensions of organizational assimilation.
Communication Quarterly. [Note: This section appears in Creswell & Plano Clark (2007),
pages 239-255]
Focus: What is a qualitatively-driven mixed methods approach? What types of questions lend
themselves to such an approach? What designs?
PART III. Analytical Considerations, Methodological Concerns, and Practical
Applications in Mixed Methods Research
WEEK SEVEN: February 26th. Analytical Strategies in Mixed Methods Research-- Part I.
Edith de Leeuw and Joop Hox 2007. “ Mixing Data Collection Methods: Lessons form social
Survey Research”
Hesse-Biber, S. (2010). Chapter 3. (concentrate on analysis and interpretation sections in
detail)
Bryman, A. (2007). Barriers to integrating quantitative and qualitative research. Journal of
Mixed Methods Research, 1, 8-22.
Moffatt, S., White, M., Mackintosh, J, & Howel, D. (2006). Using quantitative and qualitative
data in health services research: What happens when mixed methods findings conflict? BMC
Health Services Research, 6.
Hesse-Biber .S/ (2012). “Weaving a multimethodology and mixed methods praxis into
randomized control trials to enhance credibility. Qualitative Inquiry 16: 1-14.
Focus: What is being “mixed” in mixed methods Research? What is left out?
SPRING VACATION
WEEK EIGHT: February March 12 th. Data Analysis and Interpretation in Mixed Methods
Part II.
Julia Brannen and Rebecca O'Connell. (2015). Overview of [Mixed Methods] Data Analysis
Strategies. In The Oxford Handbook of Multi and Mixed Methods Research Inquiry
Morse, Janice (2015) Issues in Qualitatively Driven Mixed-Method Designs: Walking through
a Mixed-Method Project. The Oxford Handbook of Multi and Mixed Methods Research Inquiry
Empirical Examples of Doing Integration
Palcuk, Elizabeth Levy. 2010. “The Promising Integration of Qualitative Methods and Field
Experimentation.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences 628(1):
59–71.
Zentella, Ana Ceicilia (1990) “Integrating qualitative and quantitative methods in the study of
bilingual code switching. “ In Edward H. Bendix (Ed.). The Uses of Linguistics, pp. 72-92.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 583
Focus: How can mixed methods analysis cross paradigmatic divides? Can this be done? Why
or why not?
WEEK NINE: March 19th. Writing Up Mixed Methods Research
Pat Bazeley (2015). Writing Up Mixed- and Multi-Methods Research for Diverse Audiences
In: Oxford Handbook of Multi and Mixed Methods Research
Sandelowski, M. (2003). Tables or tableaux? The challenges of writing and reading mixed
methods studies. In A.Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.) Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social
and Behavioral Research (pp. 321-350). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Hesse-Biber, S. (2010). Chapter 7. Mixed Methods Research: Merging Theory with Practice.
Focus: What are the unique issues researchers face when they begin to write up their mixed
methods project?
PART IV. Specific Theoretical Approaches linked to Mixed Methods and the Disciplines
WEEK TEN: March 26th Mixed Methods Transformative- Emancipatory Perspectives
Mertens, D.M. (2003). Mixed methods and the politics of human research: The transformativeemancipatory perspective. In A. Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.) Handbook of Mixed Methods
in Social and Behavioral Research (Chapter 5, pp. 135-164). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Hollingsworth, L.D. (2004). Child custody loss among women with persistent severe mental
illness. Social Work Research, 28(4), 199-209.
Kumar, M.S., Mudaliar, S.M., Thyagarajan, S.P., Kumar, S., Selvanayagam, A., Daniels, D.
(2000). Rapid assessment and response to injecting drug use in Madras, south India.
International Journal of Drug Policy, 11, 83-98.
Focus: What is a transformative/emancipatory perspective? What types of questions arise from
such a perspective. What type of mixed methods questions and designs emanate from this type
of perspective?
WEEK 11: APRIL 9th. Mixed Methods Interpretative Perspectives
Hesse-Biber, S. (2010). Chapter 4. Interpretative Approaches. Mixed Methods Research:
Merging Theory with Practice.
Jovic, E., Wallace, J.E., & Lemaire, J. (2006). The generation and gender shifts in
medicine: An exploratory survey of internal medicine physicians. BMC Health Services
Research, 6(55). Available online:
www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1482702
McMahon, S. (2007). Understanding Community-Specific Rape Myths: Exploring Student
Athlete Culture. Affilia, 22, 357-370. Available online:
aff.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/22/4/357
Stewart, M., Makwarimba, E., Barnfather, A., Letourneau, N., & Neufeld, A. (2008).
Researching reducing health disparities: Mixed-methods approaches. Social Science &
Medicine, 66, 1406-1417. Available online at ScienceDirect.
Torres, V. (2006). A Mixed Method Study Testing Data-Model Fit of a Retention Model for
Latino/a Students at Urban Universities. Journal of College Student Development, 47(3), 299318. Available online:
muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_college_student_development/v047/47.3torres.html
Focus: What is an interpretive perspective? What types of questions and designs lend
themselves to a mixed methods interpretative perspective?
WEEK TWELVE: April 16th. Mixed Methods Feminist Perspectives
Hesse-Biber, Chapter 5. Entire Chapter
Nightingale, A. (2006b). A forest community or community forestry? Beliefs, meanings
and nature in north-western Nepal. Online papers archived by the Institute of Geography,
School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh. Available at
http://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/1842/1436/1/anightingale003.pdf.
Nicholson, P. (2004). Taking quality seriously: The case for qualitative feminist
psychology in the context of quantitative clinical research on postnatal depression. In Z. Todd,
B. Nerlich, S. McDeown, & D.D. Clarke (Eds.), Mixing methods in psychology: The
integration of qualitative and quantitative methods in theory and practice (pp. 207-223). New
York: Psychology Press.
Tolman, D.L., & Szalacha, L.A. (1999). Dimensions of desire: Bridging qualitative and
quantitative methods in a study of female adolescent sexuality. Psychology of Women
Quarterly, 23, 7–39. Broadview Press.
Focus: What is a feminist perspective? What types of questions lend themselves to a Feminist
Perspective? What types of designs?
WEEK 13 --April 23rd APPLICATIONS OF MIXED METHODS ACROSS THE
DISCIPLINES: SOME EXAMPLES & FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN MIXED METHODS
RESEARCH
Select 3 mixed methods research articles to read from 3 different disciplines below:
Skinner, D., Matthews, S., & Burton, L. (2005). Combining ethnography and GIS technology to
examine constructions of developmental opportunities in contexts of poverty and disability. In T. S.
Weisner (Ed.) Discovering successful pathways in children’s development: Mixed methods in the
study of childhood and family life (pp. 223-239). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Newman, K., & Wyly, E.K. (2006). The right to stay put, revisited: Gentrification and resistance to
displacement in New York City. Urban Studies, 43, 23-57.
Brown, J.H., D’Emidio-Caston, M., & Pollard, J.A. (1997). Students and substances: Social Power
in Drug Education. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 19, 65-82.
Rohlfing, Ingo. 2007. “What You See and What You Get: Pitfalls and Principles of Nested
Analysis in Comparative Research.” Comparative Political Studiees 41(11): 1492–1514.
McConney, A., Rudd, A., & Ayres, R. (2002). Getting to the bottom line: A method for
synthesizing findings within mixed-method program evaluations. American Journal of Evaluation,
23, 121-140.
O’Neill, B. (2009). A Mixed Methods Approach to Studying Women’s Political Opinions.
Prepared for delivery at the First European Conference on Politics and Gender, Queen’s
University of Belfast, UK. Available online:
www.essex.ac.uk/ecpr/standinggroups/documents/ONeill.pdf
Bring a mixed methods article to share from you discipline with the class.
WEEK 14: APRIL 30TH. New directions in Mixed Methods Research
Hesse-Biber, S. (2010). Chapter 8. Mixed Methods Research: Merging Theory with Practice.
Sandelowski, M. (2013). Unmixing mixed methods Research.
Julianne Cheek. (2015). It Depends: Possible Impacts of Moving the Field of Mixed-Methods
Research Towards Best Practice Guidelines. The Oxford Handbook of Multi and Mixed Methods
Research Inquiry
Focus: What is the distinction between methodology and method?Why is mixed methods sometimes
mixed up methods? Should researchers aim to follow NIH Guidelines for Mixed Methods
Research? What are the pros/cons of doing so?
Paper Abstracts are due today, April 30th.
WEEK FIFTEEN: May 7th. Final Paper Presentations Today! & Course Wrap-Up
FINAL PAPERS ARE DUE ON Thursday, May 7th, 2015